People following a plant-based diet are 32% less likely to develop multiple long-term conditions compared to those who eat a high intake of meat, new research has indicated.
A recent study from the University of Vienna, the International Agency for Research on Cancer and Kyung Hee University has found that a plant-based diet can help to prevent the development of cardiometabolic diseases and cancer.
As part of the trial, the team of researchers examined the dietary habits and disease trajectories of more than 400,000 women across six countries in Europe.
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They found that the participants had a 32% lower risk of developing multiple long-term conditions if they had a higher adherence to a plant-based diet.
Senior author Reynalda Córdova said: “You don’t have to cut out animal products entirely. Shifting toward a more plant-based diet can already have a positive impact.”
Multiple long-term conditions are the presence of two or more chronic health conditions in a single person, which can include physical and mental illnesses, or long-duration infectious diseases.
These conditions may be related, such as the common cluster of diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease, or they may be unrelated.
Multiple long-term conditions are becoming an increasing problem around the world, especially among adults aged 60 years and older.
Reynalda Córdova noted: “Our study highlights that a healthy, plant-based diet not only influences individual chronic diseases but can also reduce the risk of developing multiple chronic diseases at the same time, in both middle-aged and older people.”
Corresponding author Karl-Heinz Wagner said: “The results show how important a predominantly plant-based diet is for our health and thus reinforce the new Austrian dietary recommendations, which emphasise plant-based food with a low proportion of animal-based foods. A co-benefit of a plant-based diet are lower greenhouse gas emissions and land use.”
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Plant-based diets include vegan sausages, vegan burgers, fruits, vegetables, legumes and wholegrains. Adding a small amount of animal-based foods can also benefit your health, experts have claimed.
The authors said: “Dietary guidelines, public health measures and interventions should consider that a diet primarily composed of plant-based foods with small amounts of animal-based products may help prevent multimorbidity related to cancer and cardiometabolic diseases.”
Read more in the journal The Lancet Healthy Longevity.
